TD The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africahttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/36052024-03-28T14:43:16Z2024-03-28T14:43:16ZDowns, J. 2021. Colonised medicine and transformative learning – Lessons from Downs’ book: Maladies of Empire : how Colonialism, Slavery, and War Transformed Medicine [Book review]Mapukata, Nontsikelelo O.http://hdl.handle.net/10394/411352023-05-03T01:03:41Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZDowns, J. 2021. Colonised medicine and transformative learning – Lessons from Downs’ book: Maladies of Empire : how Colonialism, Slavery, and War Transformed Medicine [Book review]
Mapukata, Nontsikelelo O.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZWho is watching the World Health Organisation? ‘Post-truth’ moments beyond infodemic researchNoakes, Travis M.Bell, DavidNoakes, Timothy D.http://hdl.handle.net/10394/411342023-05-03T01:03:40Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZWho is watching the World Health Organisation? ‘Post-truth’ moments beyond infodemic research
Noakes, Travis M.; Bell, David; Noakes, Timothy D.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a public research agenda to address
infodemics. In these, ‘an overflow of information of varying quality surges across digital and
physical environments’. The WHO’s expert panel has raised concerns that this can result in
negative health behaviours and erosion of trust in health authorities and public health
responses. In sponsoring this agenda, the WHO positioned itself as a custodian that can flag
illegitimate narratives (misinformation), the spread of which can potentially result in societal
harm. Such ‘post-truth’ moments are rife with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public
health emergency. It provides an opportunity for researchers to analyse divisions in knowledge
labour, which can help explain when ‘post-truth’ moments arrive. The first COVID-19 example
for this division foregrounds the development of knowledge in an academic context. Added to
this is the infodemic or disinfodemic research agenda and personal health responsibility,
whose academic contributors are similar. In contrast, the division of labour for messenger
ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine research foregrounds the role of vaccine manufacturing
pharmaceutical companies in driving and promoting related knowledge production.
Transdiciplinary Contribution: This analysis focuses on intergroup contradictions between
the interests of agencies and their contrasting goals and across different types of knowledge
division. Many intergroup contradictions exist, and a few intergroup examples are also
described. An overarching contradiction was identified where rushed guidance based on
weak evidence from international health organisations may well perpetuate negative health
and other societal outcomes rather than ameliorate them.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZDigital transformation of small and medium enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa : a scoping reviewAchieng, Mourine S.Malatji, Masikehttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/411332023-05-03T01:03:39Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZDigital transformation of small and medium enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa : a scoping review
Achieng, Mourine S.; Malatji, Masike
The economic activities of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa
(SSA) drive much of the region’s economic growth and development. Despite their
importance, SMEs tend to fail in their first two years of operation compared to macro
enterprises. Digital transformation (DT) of organisations fosters resilience; however, DT of
SMEs in SSA has been slow because of several impediments. The objective of this article is to
establish how SMEs in the context of SSA can develop comprehensive strategies for
integrating digital technologies into their operations to build resilience. Arksey and
O’Malley’s systematic scoping review (SR) is used to identify and map articles over a 5 year
period using inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 44 articles were included for indepth
analysis to address the issue under investigation. The results indicate toward
economy-based, market-based and sociotechnical contextual factors emerging as themes
that impede DT of SMEs in the SSA region. In the SSA context, SMEs face numerous regional
constraints that create barriers in their operations, such as limited access to profitable and
value-added markets.
Transdisciplinarity Contribution: To develop strategies for integrating technologies, it
is critical to have a thorough understanding of SMEs’ operational context. This is vital if
SMEs in the SSA region are to fully realise the transformative potential of integrating
digital technologies into their business operations and gain long-term resilience. Through
digitally enabled resilience, SMEs can continue to play their critical role in the economic
growth and development of the SSA region.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZGrowth accounting, development accounting and cross-country growth regressions : a conceptual review essayCallaghan, Chris W.http://hdl.handle.net/10394/411322023-05-03T01:03:36Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZGrowth accounting, development accounting and cross-country growth regressions : a conceptual review essay
Callaghan, Chris W.
Background: This review article sets out to identify certain critiques of growth accounting,
development accounting and cross-country growth regressions. These critiques provide
insights relevant to the usefulness and policy relevance of these methods.
Aim: The aim of this article was to critically review literature and to provide a synthesis of this
literature, deriving certain arguments to contribute to further research.
Method: This article takes the form of a critical review essay.
Results: Growth accounting, development accounting and cross-country growth regressions
all have some limitations and knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses may be helpful for
those who are undertaking transdisciplinary social science research using these methods.
These methods seem to suffer from similar criticisms levelled at neoclassical thinking, which
need to be considered more seriously in the literature.
Conclusion: Further research should explore how such methods might complement each
other to improve validity of research findings.
2022-01-01T00:00:00Z